2005 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-075

Description

Attributed by Richard Ray and cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 2005 P WDDR-075 Business Strike Ocean in View, this doubled die reverse was discovered on the 2005 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel from the Westward Journey series. Richard Ray, a contributing die variety researcher, documented this variety as part of the systematic cataloging effort that ultimately identified well over a hundred distinct doubled die reverse varieties on the 2005 Ocean in View design alone. The "Ocean in View" reverse by Joe Fitzgerald depicts the dramatic Pacific coastline vista that greeted Lewis and Clark's expedition at the culmination of their westward journey, with ocean waves, rocky shoreline, and the inscription "Ocean in view! O! The Joy!" rendered in an expressive calligraphic hand inspired by William Clark's November 7, 1805 journal entry. This design's combination of naturalistic landscape elements and hand-lettered text created an unusually large number of diagnostic surfaces where hub misalignment could produce detectable doubling, explaining the extraordinary quantity of documented DDR varieties. The 2005 Westward Journey nickels commemorated the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806), representing one of the most ambitious commemorative programs in Jefferson Nickel history. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel, 5.000 grams, 21.2 mm), the 2005-P Ocean in View issue's high production volume means examples of WDDR-075 potentially exist in considerable numbers in circulation and accumulations, awaiting identification by knowledgeable collectors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Richard Ray
• Unknown; Wexler Variety ID: 2005 P WDDR-075 Business Strike Ocean in View
• Expert attribution by Richard Ray

External References